John Bishop HARRY

                      DOCUMENTATION: Marriage Listed Records: Shanandoah Co. VA
                   Will(s) names children
                   Info: Debbie Francis - NC
       EMPLOYMENT: Silversmith/clockmaker - had first tavern in Lincolnton, NC
                                     Sheriff of Lincoln Co. NC.  He had a large plantation (5,000  Acres) on Buffalo Creek
                                     between Shelby & Grover, NC & a large colony of slaves.  He surveyed the County seat
                                     of Shelby & helped auction off the lots that were laid out.
                                     Served as a State Senator from Lincolnton.

John Bishop Harry and his wife Sarah Ann traveled to Lincoln County, NC on their honeymoon in a covered wagon. They settled in Lincolntown where he kept the old tavern and inn. By trade he was also a silversmith, clock maker and gunsmith.

In 1835 John Bishop whose nickname was "John Bull" was a State Senator representing Lincoln County. He took an active part in the organization of Cleveland County in 1840-41. He help survey the new county and lay out the
county seat, Shelby.

An unfortunate accident befell John Bishop while returning from Raleigh on horseback. He was caught in a heavy thunderstorm and thoroughly drenched for hours. The dye from the red lining of his hat mixed with the rain and ran in his eyes. It injured his eyesight and he was almost blind during the lastyears of his
life.

John Bishop owned many slaves and over a thousand acresbetween Buffalo Creek and the South Carolina line. The land lay along a streamcalled Jacob's Branch. There he built a large home for his wife and family. After the death of Sarah Ann, he sold his home to Major Borders. He moved two miles up the road and built a smaller, rectangular home with one large room, a fireplace in the south and two pot racks at the north end. He had a dozen slaves that lived nearby and assisted him. Here he lived out his last years in luxury and comfort. A beautifully executed will in his own handwriting shows that he was well educated. It is also interesting to note that a map of his property madeby him showed the location of a money swamp where gold, silver and Confederatemoney was hidden during the War Between the States. The money swamp was neverfound.